Page 42 of I Choose You
Claire
I was buzzing with excitement. It was silly, really. It was just a girls’ night with some friends. New friends. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a fun girls’ night out—or in, as was the case tonight.
Maeve had texted me earlier and invited me to her house, along with her sister-in-law, Juliet, and another friend of hers. I had put on a dress first, but that looked too, well, dressy, so I changed out of that and into a pair of jeans and a cute top. Before I left to head over to her house, she texted in a new group chat that it was a comfy clothes kind of night, so I changed again. Now, I was in an oversized sweater and a pair of leggings. I stopped at the Pine Street Market to pick up a bottle of wine. As I walked down the baked goods aisle, the case of freshly made desserts caught my eye. I picked up a container of apple pie taquitos, figuring they would be easier to eat than a pie, and they smelled delicious.
Maeve’s house was a small Cape-style home. The siding looked like it had been newly painted, a pretty yet subtle light blue color, but the front porch was a collection of different-colored planks of wood. She and Wyatt were clearly in the middle of some renovations, and for some reason, it made me like her even more. I was so used to everything having to be picture-perfect all the time, especially around company. It was refreshing to see normal people living their lives, making small improvements over the course of time. I couldn’t think of a single person back in Connecticut who would allow others to see their home in anything other than pristine condition.
I rang the bell, and Scarlett, from the Calla Bay Police Department, answered the door, laughing at something Maeve must have said. Her dark red hair was tied back, wild curls struggling hard to break free.
“Claire! I’m so glad you’re here.” She opened the door wider and stepped aside to let me in.
“Hey, Claire. I was going to make introductions, but it looks like you two know each other already,” Maeve said. She gave me a quick, tight squeeze.
“Yeah. We met at the police department a few weeks back when I had to give my statement.”
Maeve’s house was absolutely adorable. A playpen for Jane was set up in the living room, along with a baby chair and some toys. Everything had been tidied away, but it had a cozy, lived-in vibe.
“What’s all this?” Maeve asked, gesturing to my armful of goodies.
“I didn’t want to come empty-handed, so I stopped by the market for the wine, but the bakery smelled too good to pass by without picking something up. Apple pie taquitos.”
“Oh, my goodness, thank you. You didn’t have to do that, but I’m not complaining that you did.” Maeve ushered meinto the kitchen area of the open-concept space. I placed the items on the counter, where the other bottle of wine and snacks were.
“Me either,” Scarlett said. “I say we open those first.”
“The taquitos or the wine?”
“Both,” she laughed.
A knock sounded at the front door, so Maeve went to answer it while Scarlett looked around for some wineglasses.
“Oh, hey. It’s Claire, right?” Juliet entered the kitchen in front of Maeve.
“Yup, that’s me.” I smiled. “How have you been, Juliet?”
“Good. I’d be better if I were on a tropical island somewhere though,” she joked. “Luke and I have been talking about going on a vacation sometime soon.”
“Luke doesn’t like to travel,” Scarlett said.
Juliet didn’t acknowledge the comment at all. With a smile, she continued. “How’s things with you?”
“Good. Busy, but things are moving along really well.” We made awkward small talk for a bit. Everything seemed pleasant enough, but there was an undercurrent of hostility that I didn’t feel just moments ago. Juliet pointedly hadn’t said anything to Scarlett, not even a greeting. Her friendly chatter with me made me feel more like a pawn in some sort of game that I didn’t understand.
“Oh, Scarlett, you have too many glasses out,” Maeve said.
“What?” she asked, clearly confused. She recounted the four wineglasses in front of us and then looked around at the three of us standing in front of her. “No, I don’t. There are four of us.”
“Yes, but only three are drinking wine.” Maeve’s lips were pressed tightly together as she tried to suppress her smile.
Scarlett nearly slammed the wine bottle on the counter with more force than necessary, her mouth wide open.
“Are you…” Juliet trailed off. She sounded like she was afraid to ask the obvious question.
“Pregnant?” squealed Scarlett.
Maeve was nodding her head, her hands playing with the ends of her sweatshirt.
Scarlett shrieked with delight and wrapped Maeve in a strong embrace.
